I’m no longer trying to call the weather. I just go outside each morning and let the air decide how much clothing I am putting on to maybe take off later. It was almost 80 degrees yesterday, but it was chilly in the morning. This past weekend there was ice coating everything in the morning and comfortable by the afternoon. Big coat to shorts, back to my big coat season has been fun. It’s also so dry out I’m not sure if this is allergies or just too much dust daily. The farmers, when they plow are literally crop dusting. Passing a field is no fun. I watched a combine drive by with a fire in the top vent area and thought that is one weird way to make popcorn. It’s been an eventful few days in the dry country. A fire out here in a field is serious. My woods look like they could just burst into flame — so much dry pine.

Catching fish has been fun, and this Fishbites earthworm long-lasting formula is on point. It is versatile in fresh and brackish water. We haven’t tried it a lot in the surf yet. But in the brackish waters of the inland bays and our rivers it is catching fish. In freshwater it works great. I’m looking forward to seeing how the stocked trout will respond. Using Fishbites fishing with kids makes life much easier for the parents. You have enough of a job maintaining the kids. Not having to deal with messy bait and constantly rebaiting hooks is a relief.

Much like the bloodworm formula, the earthworm formula will stay on the hook for a few catches. It’s an instant timesaver. There isn’t a fast-acting formula for earthworm, which is the cold water version, but I have a feeling that doesn’t matter. This is the one Fishbites bait I can smell when you open the bag from across the room. It smells like worms catching fish. Ask your local shops to stock it. You can order it from the Fishbites website as well.

Depending on who you ask, the drum run has ended around Assateague. Many will still go looking for a straggler because you never know. Meanwhile there are striped bass on the move south from the north so you should be fishing anyway. These fish eat the same baits so you don’t even have to switch up gear, just go fishing. I never understood quitting fishing because supposedly a certain fish is gone. Just try for something else. There are plenty of the spiny dogs to catch all winter, and skates. With a mild winter we usually see something to catch year-round. Island Beach State Park in Jersey is starting to see big migratory fish. That action should get real big here soon enough. If you’ve never fished a blitz on a beach, you really should go experience that once. Do it on a weekday — it gets crazy on weekends. It is something to experience, with hundreds of fish in schools along the beaches chasing bunker and anglers chasing the fish.

Flounder action is slowing down for the inland bays as fish start to move out to the ocean. We will see some good-sized flounder hitting stretches here soon too. Anglers trolling for striped bass will catch flounder that hit the big stretch lures being trolled.
Sea bass has been decent action. Like last week, you have to find the school with the big fish in it. Those boys found out the bigger fish were in closer and the smaller fish were out farther. That’s why they caught a lot of the smaller fish. If you are like me there are a lot of decent days still ahead for a boat ride. It still isn’t too cold on the water for a long ride with the right gear.

Freshwater action has been better on the days we warm up a little by afternoon. There is still good topwater action and a lot less bugs but these warm days change that. I was hoping those two days of ice would help. It seems to have just made them mad and hungry.

These warm days aren’t going to last, enjoy them while you can. But be smart in the outdoors in the fall. Be careful around the water on these extremely warm days. Being over heated and falling into this cold water is very dangerous to your system and can cause hypothermia extremely fast. Plan accordingly and think it through. For example, a nice dip like in summer seems like a good idea until you jump into the ocean. Yes, we see at least a few a week this time of year. They don’t last long in the water.

Start feeding your pets a little earlier. They are staring at you by 4 p.m. for a reason. That time change is coming, and their internal clock does not change. I got the look starting around 3:30 every day this past week. I am being retrained as you read this.